Zander with Baked Apple Fumet, Beetroot Confit and Smoked Eel

Recipe (serves 4)

Zander:

1 zander, (approx. 1kg)
concentrated butter
1 branch of thyme
1 tsp. flour
1 tsp. butter

Thoroughly remove the scales from the zander and filet. Wash the zander, pat dry and cut into equal portions. Cut incisions into the skin and dust with a little flour. Then fry in lard until crispy. Remove the pan from the cooker and turn the fish over. Add the butter and thyme and leave for 3 minutes. Remove the fish and flavor with coarse sea salt.

Baked Apple Fumet:

2 boskoop (cooking) apples
1 stick of cinnamon
4 cloves
400ml poultry stock
2 shallots
100ml white wine
100ml Noilly Prat
1 tbsp. cold butter, cut into cubes
sea salt, white pepper

Add the finely chopped shallots to the poultry stock and reduce to half its original volume. Fill the spices into the apple and bake at 140°C for about 20 minutes. Remove the fruit pulp with a spoon, add to the reduced poultry stock and pass through a sieve. Bring the wine to simmering point and then add to the apple-poultry stock. Mix in the butter and season to taste.

Beetroot Confit:

2 large beetroots
100g shallots, finely diced into cubes
1 tbsp. duck fat
2 boskoop apples
1 tbsp. roasted walnuts
A pinch of cumin
A pinch of Lebkuchen (ginger bread) spice
Acacia honey
Sea salt
Some beetroot juice
Ground white pepper, sea salt
Aluminum foil

Clean the beetroots and wrap in foil with some sea salt and place in the oven for about 3 hours at 140°C. Remove the beetroots from the foil, peel and grate. Fry the diced shallots in the fat until they are transparent. Peel the apples, finely grate and add to the beetroot together with the shallots and walnuts. Add honey and spices to taste. Beetroot juice may be used to achieve the right consistency.

Salad:

1 boskoop apple
80g smoked eel fillet
2 tbsp. white dressing
1 tbsp. garden cress
A dash of lemon juice
1 tbsp. roasted walnuts, roughly chopped

Peel the apple, cut into cubes and marinate with the dressing and lemon juice. Cut the eel into cubes and add to the apple with walnuts.